4 booked for ‘body in trunk’ stunt

Navi Mumbai stunt showing a hand from a moving car sparked panic, leading to four arrests for negligent driving and misuse of a vehicle.

Navi Mumbai: A marketing stunt, showing a human hand dangling from the trunk of a moving car, created panic near Sanpada railway station in Navi Mumbai on Monday. The bizarre stunt ultimately led to four people getting booked for negligent driving and misuse of the vehicle. A video of the unsettling sight quickly went viral on social media.

A video of the unsettling sight quickly went viral on social media.

The incident, which occurred on Monday evening along the service road adjacent to the Sanpada railway station, was brought to the attention of Navi Mumbai Police after residents, alarmed by the video, feared a dead body was being transported. “A friend recorded the video, fearing it could be a corpse. We immediately informed the police,” said Sudip Gholap, a resident of Belapur.

Through the vehicle’s registration number, police traced the car by 8:30 pm near Vashi railway station. The four individuals involved in the stunt —Meenhaj Mohammad Amin Sheikh (25), Shahawar Tariq Sheikh (24), Mohammad Anas Ahmed Sheikh (30), and Inzamam Akhtar Raza Sheikh—were booked under section 184 of the Motor Vehicles Act for negligent driving and misuse of the vehicle.

According to police, the car had been borrowed by Meenhaj Sheikh from Sakinaka for a wedding event in Navi Mumbai and the video was filmed on their way back. “The intention was to create a promotional reel,” said an officer. The video was staged to provoke a biker into stopping the car. Upon being asked to open the trunk, the person whose hand was hanging out would suddenly spring up, declaring, “Got afraid? I’m not dead. But here’s an amazing offer on laptops!”

Police confirmed that the act was part of a promotional campaign designed to attract attention through shock value. “It was a publicity gimmick aimed at marketing laptop offers but it caused unnecessary panic among the public,” said assistant commissioner of police (Crime Branch) Ajay Landge.